Apple developing an iOS controller?

03Apr

The rumor mill is at it again with new information suggesting that Apple may be working on a gaming controller for iOS devices.

Unfortunately the source, AnandTech.com, didn?t have further details to divulge over the device which is supposedly being internally worked on by Apple. However, there seems to be little hope that the product will make it past the internal project stage, despite continued growth in smartphone and tablet technology and the rising interest in the mobile gaming market.

A few third-party controllers have already been created for the iPhone and iPad, such as Ion Audio?s iCade arcade accessory, and the more practical iControlPad, a bluetooth device that is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. An alternative, the Fling Joystick from Ten One Design, is a different design altogether, which still utilizes the touch screen albeit in a more comfortable way than many mobile gamers may be accustomed to.

While a controller-style design may not help with games such as Fruit Ninja and other mostly touch-focused games, the addition of an Apple-made controller to the iPhone could open up the market to more complex environments and better control systems for current iOS games such as Infinity Blade, Dead Space and recent game, Mass Effect Infiltrator, which suffers from complaints over the difficulty of in-game controls.